Mailbag #39: Through The First Four

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes are 3-1 through the first four bouts of the season and have two more contests remaining on their five-game west coast swing.
Before the team hits the ice Saturday in Calgary, let's answer some questions.

Martin Necas. Hot start or do you think he has leveled up his game? - @CaniacZach / @DashaBoss5
As nice as it would be to say definitively that he has taken his game to new heights, I'd be lying to you if I said anything other than that it's too soon to tell.
Undoubtedly what #88 has done through four games has been special, but we all know that there's 78 more to go before things really get real.
With seven points already, he's buzzed around like the team knew he could when they selected him at #12 overall in 2017. It's certainly nice to see his confidence coming back along with his production.

Who's the surprise standout so far this season? - @OneTrueZach / @lognburns
It's hard not to say Necas here, but for the sake of shining light onto someone else, how about Jalen Chatfield?
Although it was a small sample size with the big club last season, his performances, paired with a spectacular campaign in Chicago (AHL), felt as if they primed him for some more minutes with the Canes this season. But I'm not sure how many people realistically expected him to play on opening night, let alone the following three consecutive games.
Calvin de Haan, Dylan Coghlan and Ethan Bear are legitimate NHL defensemen that have proved they can play at this level. And while we know that Rod Brind'Amour has said things will likely continue to change on the third pairing, it certainly speaks volumes about his play that Chatfield hasn't come out yet.
Kudos to him, I hope we get to see his strong showings continue.
Main contributing factors to what seems to be an overall much more consistent Canes team? Burns, the perfect fit and what we needed? - @jturn\_23
Much like the answer to the Necas question above, I think it's important we don't get too ahead of ourselves just yet.
Yes, the team looked strong in preseason. Yes, they've looked good in three out of four regular season contests thus far. But we've got a long ways to go before we declare them a much more consistent club.
Perhaps I'm looking at it through the wrong lens as well, but what are we comparing them to being more consistent to? Last year's team? The one that won 54 games and posted a franchise record 116 points?
Don't get me wrong, I'm an optimist and if you asked me if I think that the team has a chance to top both of those numbers this season, I'd say yes. As we know though, optimism and reality are two different things.
If they are to set new records again this year, it certainly seems that Brent Burns will play a big factor in that. He's contributed in the first handful of games and there's hope that there will be even more to come once he is more settled in. It takes time to acclimate to any new job, and while he's such an elite player that he's looked good early on, there's plenty of reason to believe that it's only going to get better.
Roster moves aside, obviously, what is the most noticeable change you have seen in the team thus far? Whether it be physicality to mentality, I am genuinely curious to see if someone else is thinking the same way I am. - @YamisamOfAsura
The answer to this question, again, depends on what we're comparing the change to. Are we talking this time last year? Are we talking since the end of last season's playoff run?
If we look at what led to the team's demise against New York in Round Two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there were three factors that stood out to many. First, the health of the team's netminders. Second, some of the team's top players struggling to find the back of the net. And third, special teams.
How many, if any, of those three things canbe changed right now?
Well, the goaltenders have been healthy to start the season, but as we know, injuries can happen at any time. Please knock on the nearest wood to you at this time.
Some of the team's top dogs have been performing through four games, and while it is important to win games now, it's still something that is going to have to be evident when the postseason rolls around.
As for the power play, back-to-back games of multiple power play goals suggest that there's no major cause for concern at the moment, but again, it will still have to be productive in April, May and June for the team to achieve the ultimate goal.
How are they different from this time last season?
As the adage goes, everyone's a year older and everyone's a year wiser.
This time last year Jesperi Kotkaniemi was in the infant stages of learning where he'd fit in with the team, what role he'd play and how Rod Brind'Amour's systems operate. Now, he's in a very important second line center role. Things that he was learning in October of 2021 are coming to him second nature now.
Although you had said roster moves aside, I still think it's important to note that the team is different because of Brent Burns and Paul Stastny. It's not always easy to go out and add key veteran contributors. Max Pacioretty, who remains sidelined due to his Achilles injury, is still around the team on an everyday basis in Raleigh as well. There's a way that those men carry themselves and go about their business that has impacted the team.
There's an understood feeling that this team is one of the leading candidates to compete for the Stanley Cup in a few months. However, they know that there's a lot of work to be done before they can cross that bridge.
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